This is Twitter’s Museum Week! All this week Beit Hatfutsot is participating in Museum Week 2015 as part of a worldwide Twitter campaign celebrating culture. Each day has a different theme; secrets, souvenirs, architecture, inspiration and family. Follow #museumweek to join in on the fun.

A morning of fashion and heritage was recently organized by “The Israel Friends of Beit Hatfutsot”. This creative event, geared at leading businesswomen in Israel, was a celebration of Israeli fashion, culture and art. It was held at the new location of Israeli fashion house Maskit, originally established in 1954 by Ruth Dayan. Currently on […]

Prof. Dariusz Stola, director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and Ms. Lucja Koch, head of the education department, visited Beit Hatfutsot on Sunday, 15.3. They were hosted by chief curator Dr. Orit Shaham Gover, who introduced to them the plans for the new Core Exhibition, and visited Beit Hatfutsot exhibitions.

It is with deep regret that Beit Hatfutsot mourns the passing of Erna De-Shalit, a true and dedicated friend of the museum, and sends condolences to all the family. The generous donation that Erna De-Shalit and family granted to Beit Hatfutsot enabled the upgrade and enrichment of the museum’s database of Jewish Family Names, which […]

“Israelis and Jewish Peoplehood” was the topic of the conference that drew 250 people to Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People to discuss the theory and the practice of Jewish Peoplehood in the context of Israeli society. The conference was organized by the “International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies at Beit Hatfutsot” […]

In an emotional ceremony held at Beit Hatfutsot on February 10th, 2015, the Leslau family tree was added to Beit Hatfutsot’s database. Attending the ceremony were the siblings of the Leslau family: Etty, Yitzhak, Chana and Ziporah, as well as Beit Hatfutsot’s CEO Dan Tadmor, Director of Israel Friends of Beit Hatfutsot, Irit Admoni Perlman […]

Mrs. Petra Pau, Vice President of the Bundestag, Germany, accepted the invitation of Enia Zeevi Kupfer, Director of the European Desk of Beit Hatfutsot to visit the Museum on their next visit to Israel. Mrs. Pau, joined by her Parliamentarian aides, arrived on February 17th, and received a firsthand explanation by Beit Hatfutsot CEO, Dan […]

A stunning avant-garde night of music and fashion, Drum ‘n Dress, is yet another example of highly successful event planned by and geared for the international young adults visitors to the Museum. Vlada Poltoratska from the Ukraine and Iva Balavajderova from the Czech Republic, both ISJPS (International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies) interns, had every […]

Thirty members of the International Women’s Club (IWC) recently visited Beit Hatfutsot. Members include spouses of diplomats serving in Israel, of CEO’s of foreign companies, of Israeli diplomats serving overseas, and leading women in society. The head of the forum is Ms. Yvette Trubowitch. Among the guests was Cathrine d’Elzius Cornet, wife of the Belgium […]

Fashion designer Alber Elbaz, who designed the “wings gown” especially for the “Dream Weavers” exhibition at Beit Hatfutsit, visited the museum. “I made a gown for the wedding day, which carries such a deep symbolic meaning for the Jewish bride.

Walking into the opening of the latest new exhibition, “Dream Weavers: From Jewish Tailors to Top Fashion Designers”, one might have mistaken this event at Beit Hatfutsot in Tel Aviv, for Paris, Milan, New York or any other international fashion hub across the globe. Some of the guests may have initially appeared to be “competing” […]

Mr. Shmuel Gani dedicated himself to building the family trees of the Jewish families of Zakynthos (Zante), Greece. There were less than 300 Jews on this island before the start of WW2. The Jews of Zakynthos were protected by the local Greek authorities and escaped deportation and murder by the Germans. The family trees built […]

On 19-20 October Beit Hatfutsot hosted the 2014 Annual Meeting of its Board of Governors. The Annual Meeting included workshops, lectures and festive events, including a panel with Amb. Dennis Ross and Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror about strategic challenges facing the Jewish People, a benefit at the Amy Winehouse – A Family Portrait exhibition hosted […]

The Israel Friends of Beit Hatfutsot had the privilege to hold the opening night of the exhibition “Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait”, which was held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the International Board of Governors of Beit Hatfutsot. The event was hosted by Reuven Adler, the chairman of the Israel Friends of Beit […]

New Synagogue Model introduced to Beit Hatfutsot’s worldly collection Beit Hatfutsot held a festive evening on the occasion of the addition of the new synagogue model, the Turner Temple of Vienna, to its admired and unique collection. Turner Temple was inaugurated in Vienna in 1871 by the Sechshaus congregation; it was a symbol of […]

The complex story of Jews worldwide is the focus at Beit Hafutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People, which is undergoing a major renewal project at its Tel Aviv campus. By the end of 2014, Jews everywhere will be able to explore their genealogical and communal roots through BH’s online database — one way […]

On any given day, The Museum of the Jewish People is alive with the sights and sounds of people encountering new aspects of the Jewish experience. These people – of all ages and backgrounds – discover and create the many different stories that constitute our collective past, present and future – our peoplehood. Whether it […]

Guest post by Mariana Herrera & Dina Ergas Guez Since the beginning of the operation Protective Edge (which seeks to restore calm in southern Israel) we have witnessed the ways in which a significant portion of society that ignores the history of the creation of the State of Israel and the current state of […]

The Jerusalem Post Magazine 27 6 14 – cover story iterview with Irina Nevzlin Kogan The impressive Irina Nevziin Kogan takes up leadership of Beit Hatfutsot and its all-embracing new museum, making the Jewish people’s history and future accessible to all [READ MORE]

“History is About the Future”: Malcolm I. Hoenlein, CEO/Executive VP of the Conference of Presidents presents to Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People Dr. Meir Schwartz’s Book, “Pogrom Night 1938″ Chronicling the Events of Kristallnacht in Germany Beit Hatfutsot had the honor and privilege to host Malcolm I.Hoenlein, CEO/Executive Vice Chairperson of the Conference of Presidents […]

Hundreds of kids and their families, representing dozens of countries, packed the museum to participate in a fun-filled, multi-cultural encounter that celebrated this year’s My Family Story competition and exhibit opening. My Family Story developed by the International School for Jewish People Studies at Beit Hatfutsot (ISJPS), enables each student and family to value the […]

Chef Meir Alalof of Tel-Aviv’s renowned “Messa” restaurant offered an exotic halva cake recipe for Shavuot: “My family came to Israel from Egypt and Turkey, as did halva. It is a traditional Turkish confectionary, and it is also well known in Arab cuisine: in Arabic “halva” means “sweet” or “desserts” “. Dough: 1 kg all-purpose […]

Read Shimon Peres’ speech – click here Beit Hatfutsot welcomed Israel’s President Shimon Peres for a special event to lay the cornerstone for the new Museum of the Jewish People. The museum is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation, and the laying of the cornerstone marked an important milestone in the process of its renewal. Approximately […]

Irina Nevzlin Kogan, Chair of the Board of Directors of Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People, in Tel Aviv, condemned Saturday’s brutal attack on the Jewish Museum of Belgium, which left four dead. Nevzlin Kogan wrote to the museum’s President, Philippe Blondin, to “offer her sympathies and support at this difficult time.” […]

Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, with which Beit Hatfutsot is enjoying profound partnership, celebrated its 360th anniversary. Beit Hatfutsot’s cooperation with the oldest Jewish congregation in America, will be reinforced with the renewal of The Museum of the Jewish People Core Exhibition at Beit Hatfutsot, to which the congregation has contributed artifacts and knowledge. “We are proud […]

“To renew myself, to relive, to be someone else, was always the great temptation of my existence”. Romain Gary Today is the birthday of Romain Gary, born Romain Kacew – the renowned French writer and war hero who had published around fifty novels under four different names. All his life he was trying […]

When Franco Anza, a pupil attending the “Tarbut” school in Mexico, began preparation of his roots project this year, in the framework of “My Family Story” at Beit Hatfutsot, he already had a family tree. His sister, Valentina, had prepared it two years ago using My Heritage software, which Beit Hatfutsot recommends to participants of […]

In his new book Mordechai (Max) Shatner, Israeli philosopher and artificial intelligence expert, suggests a fresh explanation of the famous Jewish success secret. Apparently, the ancient Jewish art of creating stories is the main source of Jews’ phenomenal success. The diversity of Jewish success led the author to the conclusion that it depends on some […]

These days in 1492 were fateful and busy for Don Isaac Abrabanel. This prominent philosopher, statesman and financier left nothing undone to convince Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon to revoke the Alhambra decree. But despite all his efforts, including a huge bribe he offered the monarchs, the Edict of Expulsion went public, and […]

Now, when the Crimea on everyone’s lips, let’s recall that in 1921 the young Soviet regime had plans to establish a Jewish republic in the peninsula. Actually it was a brilliant idea: the Jewish agricultural settlements, pioneered by “Ha-Halutz” and other Jewish groups, were very efficient; and the American Joint Distribution Committee was willing to pay and […]

The term “melting pot” was used by David Ben Gurion during the early 1950’s. It means creating an Israeli society with an unified identity which, back then, meant Ashkenazi, educated, secular and progressive. Has the “Old Man’s” vision been realised? “Forging the Melting Pot” is a joint project of the Wizo Academic Center Haifa […]

Dear friends, The Beit Hatfutsot team wishes the entire Jewish people a Happy Passover! Pesach is a time of great promise and renewal when we retell a glorious part of the Jewish history and celebrate our freedom. It is also a strong, cohesive force within the Jewish community and culture. Enjoy the pictures of the Pesach […]

Tommy Hilfiger was very impressed with the creative work of the Shenkar students at Beit Hatfutsot’s exhibition “Here Comes the Bride”. He was also happy to meet young and fashionable Tel-Aviv audience to talk about his professional secrets and unmatched life experience.

After an evening dedicated to Romanian Jewry, which included a selection of films from Beit Hatfutsot collections, and a fascinating lecture about Jewish-Romanian roots and family names, we received the most touching letter from Ruti Solomon from Zichron Ya’acov: “I was surprised and moved to tears, and I will treasure this evening in my heart […]

“Our world is being dramatically reshaped. The rules of the past no longer apply. In the 21st century, it’s no longer what you do that matters most but HOW you do it,” – with this strong statement our special guest Mr. Dov Seidman began his fascinating lecture at Beit Hatfutsot. Named one of the “Top […]

The Maltz Family Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, established by Milton Maltz and his wife Tamar, and Ambassador Alfred Moses and his family, have committed a pair of gifts of $5 million each for a combined $10 million to Beit Hatfutsot, The Museum of the Jewish People. The Maltzs are no strangers to […]

Hundreds of online visitors joined the Beit Hatfutsot’s special interactive project – the Worldwide Purim Album. Dear friends, we invite you to upload funny Purim photos from your family archive. Together we will create an unforgettable celebration that spans both time and distance. Purim Sameach!

While the anti-Semitism in France is escalating, and the Jewish community in France is seeing an unprecedented exodus, Beit Hatfutsot – the Museum of the Jewish people opens the exhibition “Dreyfus – The Story of a French Jewish Family”. The renewed focus on the story of Alfred Dreyfus, revealing the lesser-known family aspect of this historic affair, […]

If you could talk to any biblical figure, who would you choose? And what would you say? This imaginary dialogue with our ancestors is evolving not only in the Jewish culture, but wherever the Bible was read and taught. The archetypal power of the biblical characters is enormous, and still extremely vivid and even popular […]

Meet Irina Nevzlin Kogan, the elected Chair of the Board of Directors of Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People. She came to the Board in July, 2012 following five years as president of the NADAV Foundation where she was responsible for overall strategic management of the foundation, which focuses on Jewish Peoplehood […]

Orit Shaham Gover was appointed chief curator of Beit Hatfutsot two years ago. She is the director of the new core exhibition, slated to open in 2 stages: The Synagogue Hall, scheduled to open in summer 2015 and the new museum in 2017. Orit is well acquainted with the existing core exhibition, ever since the […]

Medy Shvide is the Project Director of the new core exhibition at The Museum of the Jewish People. Medy has extensive experience in managing art-related projects, in the public and private sectors. Among various initiatives, she ran the Tel Aviv Art Year, which included the opening of the new wing of the Tel Aviv Museum […]

We were glad to welcome hundreds of our old and new friends at the festive opening of “An Island within an Island”. People mingled and laughed, had mojitos, cameras flashed, – all set to the beautiful sounds of authentic Cuban mambo, salsa and conga. The Beit Hatfutsot’s guests had attended a first look at the […]

Gary Rosenblatt interviewed Dan Tadmor for “The Jewish Week”: Dan left a distinguished career in Israeli media — 20 years as an editor and manager at the daily Yedioth Achronot, followed by several years as a television executive — to become the CEO a year ago of Beit Hatfutsot: the Museum of the Jewish People. […]

The remains of an organ pipe found in 1950 by Hans Hirschberg in the ruins of the Neue Synagoge on Oranienburger Strasse, Berlin, are now on display at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The entire collection of Hans Hirschberg was generously donated to Beit Hatfutsot by his sister Mrs. Lilli Fliess, in his memory. The […]

Beit Hatfutsot – the museum of the Jewish people in Tel Aviv is undergoing a comprehensive renewal program which will culminate with the opening of the Synagogue Hall in 2015 and the new museum in 2018. This renewal program reflects essential changes in Jewish and Israeli culture and society, as well as world-wide advances in museum […]